🌿Analyzing Mercy inside Joseph’s Story🌿
Post Five in The Mercy Series
With a Reflection on Hesed
by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
From February 1st until the end of May 2025, the Lord tucked me safely into a quiet, faithful season—a season of submission, learning, and reflection. He took me out of public ministry and placed me in a humble role at home and at a new church.
He clearly whispered to my spirit, “Jennifer, you must learn to live by faith and not by sight—just as any good Baptist would!” And so, I began to learn to worship quietly with my husband and rely less on my spiritual gifts and more on the Word, prayer, and faith that God was moving even when I couldn’t see the fruit.
At first, the silence was uncomfortable. I had grown so accustomed to chatting with God all day and night. However, I knew this posture of humility was a necessity. During this quiet season, I became the student—not the teacher. I dug deep into Matthew 5, the Beatitudes, and the concept of mercy and hesed.
Then, in a time of prayer, the Lord made it clear: “It’s time to put your money where your mouth is. If you truly want to love like Jesus, you must live, walk, and be MERCIFUL.”
My main issue with mercy (and, if I’m honest, the issue for most followers of Jesus) was this: my pitiful human mind couldn’t fathom it. Mercy seemed too big, too perfect, too costly—something I could receive but not something I could truly give.
But then I read Matthew 5:3, 5:5, and 5:7 again, and the light began to shine through. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are the meek… Blessed are the merciful…”
That’s when I realized: the humble—the meek—are the ones who grasp that they are poor in spirit. It’s not about having it all together. It’s about knowing you don’t. The one who recognizes his or her own spiritual bankruptcy is the very one who is most able to receive mercy—and, in turn, to give it away.
Being merciful must be a mindset—something we do each day, each hour, each minute.
It’s not a random act of kindness we check off the list. It’s not a fleeting decision when we’re in a good mood. It’s an attitude, a posture of the heart, a way of life. It’s the way we walk, the way we speak, the way we choose love over resentment.
Honestly, it’s a mindset that has to be formed in us. It doesn’t come naturally to the human heart, but when we abide in Jesus—the One who poured out mercy for us—we start to see the world through His merciful eyes.
🌿 1) Merciful Mindsets Are Not Paralyzing
When we think of a merciful mindset, we’re talking about a heart posture that leans into forgiveness, grace, and love. Mercy frees us from bitterness, fear, and paralysis because it allows us to trust God’s justice and timing.
🔹 Scripture:
- “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” – James 2:13
- “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” – 2 Timothy 1:7
🔹 Reflection:
Mercy leads us forward. When we forgive and walk in grace, we’re not stuck in the past or frozen by fear. Mercy fuels movement and freedom. Mercy is active, not passive. When we choose mercy, we aren’t stuck in bitterness or resentment. We move forward—faithfully, even when it’s hard.
Just as Joseph wasn’t paralyzed by injustice, neither should we be by our hurts. (Genesis 39:21) Joseph’s story is one of relentless, repeated injustice. Betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, thrown into prison—all because of the envy and lies of others. If anyone had the right to feel paralyzed by his circumstances, it was Joseph.
Yet, Genesis 39:21 tells us: “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”
The aforementioned verse reveals God’s hesed—His covenant loyalty, steadfast love, and mercy—towards Joseph. In a place of darkness and despair, where Joseph could have easily given in to bitterness or defeat, God’s hesed was the sustaining power that not only kept Joseph’s heart soft but also positioned him for favor and eventual deliverance. This same hesed is available to us today—mercies that meet us in our darkest seasons and remain faithful no matter the injustice we face.
Let’s ponder Joseph’s heart again. Instead of dwelling on his injustices, Joseph’s heart remained faithful. He lived out a merciful mindset long before his brothers returned to him in need of forgiveness. His heart stayed open to God, and his faith didn’t collapse under the weight of their betrayal.
That same mindset is what the Lord invites us into; the call is not to minimize the hurt, but to surrender it. Mercy doesn’t pretend injustice doesn’t sting. It simply refuses to let the pain dictate the narrative, the victory.
Joseph’s faithfulness shows us that God’s presence is with us in the prison seasons of life—in the moments when our hearts feel betrayed, abandoned, or unfairly treated, and it’s in those moments, in the waiting, that mercy grows in the soil of grace.
When his brothers came to him, starving and desperate, Joseph didn’t use his position of power to repay evil with evil. Instead, he responded with the same mercy he had lived by all along. He said to them in Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
What if we, like Joseph, dared to live by that merciful mindset? What if we, instead of being paralyzed by injustice, chose to be propelled by the promises of God?
🌿 2) A Merciful Mindset Focuses on the Promise, Not the Problem
Mercy is rooted in God’s character, and His promises always override our circumstances. When we focus on His promises, we can extend mercy to others and ourselves.
🔹 Scripture:
- “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.” – 2 Corinthians 1:20
- “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:23
🔹 Reflection:
Focusing on problems keeps us bound to them. But focusing on the promises of God—His love, mercy, and faithfulness—empowers us to live mercifully, no matter what.
Joseph’s story is a perfect example. He had every reason to focus on his problems: betrayed by his own brothers, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, imprisoned yet innocent, and forgotten, abandoned in a pit. His circumstances were bleak because of slavery. However, Joseph’s mindset wasn’t anchored in bitterness or blame. Instead, he held onto the promises of God—the dreams God had given him as a young man, the faithfulness of the Lord he had witnessed even in the darkest seasons. Ultimately, God gave Joseph spiritual gifts, which flourished even under such dire circumstances.
Finally, when faced he faced his brothers years later, Joseph could have chosen resentment or revenge. But GOD! Joseph’s response was saturated in mercy because his focus wasn’t on their betrayal but on God’s bigger plan. He told them, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph’s merciful mindset wasn’t blind optimism; it was rooted in his trust in God’s sovereignty and His ability to redeem even the worst circumstances.
In our own lives, this merciful mindset calls us to shift from rehashing our hurts to rehearsing God’s promises. It means we choose to hold fast to hope, even when it feels shaky. It means that instead of magnifying what’s wrong that we magnify what God has already declared as right: His love never fails. His mercies are new every morning. His plans are for good and not for harm.
Joseph didn’t let the prison define his purpose, and we don’t have to let our pain define ours. Mercy calls us to lift our eyes from the problem and fix them on the promise—the “Yes” of God in Christ and the faithfulness of the One who never fails.
🌿 3) When You Have a “Lack” or “Destitute” Mindset, You’re Not Stopping God Because He Has No Such Limits
This is such a powerful truth. Even when we feel poor, limited, or incapable, God’s power is limitless. Our mindset doesn’t hinder Him, though it can hinder our experience of His fullness.
🔹 Scripture:
- “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” – Ephesians 3:20
- “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
🔹 Reflection:
Your lack or your feelings of being “destitute” does not limit God. He delights in working through your weakness to show His strength and mercy. Joseph’s entire journey was marked by moments of perceived lack and desperation. His brothers stripped him of his favored coat and sold him into slavery. He lost his freedom, his home, his family—and at one point, he was a prisoner forgotten by everyone except God. Yet, in every chapter of Joseph’s story, God’s power was at work, weaving mercy and favor and gifts into his circumstances.
It wasn’t Joseph’s position that determined the outcome—it was God’s limitless power and purpose. Even in the pit, in the prison, or before Pharaoh, Joseph was exactly where God intended him to be. His feelings of loss or limitation didn’t dictate God’s plan.
This truth speaks directly to us today. When we feel overlooked, trapped in a season of “not enough,” or destitute in spirit or resources, God’s abundance isn’t limited. He delights in using what little we have—our mustard seed faith, our obedience, our broken hearts—to display His glory.
Joseph’s story reminds us that God isn’t waiting for us to “have it all together” or to “be strong enough” before He acts. His grace is sufficient; His power is made perfect in our weakness. The more we acknowledge our need for Him; the more room we give Him to move. Hallelujah!
So, when you feel you lack the strength, the faith, or the capacity to forgive mercifully, lean into Him. Don’t be deceived into thinking your limitations or imperfections limit God. They don’t. They simply create more opportunities for Him to show His hesed—His loyal, steadfast love—and His victorious power.
🌿 Closing the Merciful Mindset
As I reflect back on my season of quiet, I realize it wasn’t just a pause—it was preparation. In that stillness, as I was called to simply abide and be pruned, the Lord was cultivating a deeper understanding of mercy and faithfulness within me.
Just as Joseph’s quiet years in prison and service were not wasted, my quiet season has been filled with whispered lessons of God’s hesed, His steadfast love. He has been planting the seeds of a merciful mindset, watering the seeds with grace, and preparing them to bloom into something far more beautiful than I could have imagined.
Now, as I sense the stirring of a new blossoming season, the Lord is reminding me to take these lessons with me:
🌿 To stay rooted in mercy, even when my heart feels raw.
🌿 To focus on His promises, not the problems that try to steal my joy.
🌿 To recognize that my “lack” doesn’t limit His limitless power.
I see now that just as He was with Joseph in the pit, the prison, and the palace, He has been with me in the quiet, the confusion, and the preparation. He has been teaching me that mercy is not a reaction—it is a way of life, rooted in the character of the One who loved me first.
So today, I close this reflection not with answers but with a prayer of surrender:
“Lord, as You send me into the next season, help me to carry Your mercy with me. Teach me to love mercifully, to forgive mercifully, and to walk in the promise of Your faithfulness. Let my life reflect Your steadfast love, and may I always remember that no circumstance can limit the power of Your grace.”
The journey isn’t over; it’s just beginning again. With each new shoot of growth, with each act of mercy, with each day I choose to trust instead of fear—I am learning to walk in His victory, His promises, and His love.
🌿 Challenge for Readers:
This week, I challenge you to identify one situation where mercy feels difficult—whether it’s forgiving someone who has hurt you, offering kindness in a hard moment, or showing compassion where it’s undeserved.
🔹 Pray and ask the Lord for strength and perspective.
🔹 Practice showing mercy as a response to His hesed.
🔹 Journal about how this act of mercy impacted your heart, your relationships, and your view of God’s limitless love.
🌿 Scripture Study List:
🔹 Matthew 5:3,5,7 – The Beatitudes and mercy’s foundation
🔹 Genesis 39:21 – God’s steadfast love and favor toward Joseph
🔹 2 Corinthians 1:20 – God’s promises are always “Yes” in Christ
🔹 Hebrews 10:23 – Hold fast to His promises because He is faithful
🔹 Ephesians 3:20 – God’s power exceeds our limitations
🔹 2 Corinthians 12:9 – His grace is sufficient in our weakness
🔹 Romans 8:28 – God works all things for good for those who love Him
🔹 Luke 6:36 – “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”
🔹 Colossians 3:12-14 – Clothe yourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience
🌿 Hashtags
#MercifulMindset #JosephsStory #Hesed #GodsMercy #ScriptureStudy #ChristianReflection #FaithInAction #SpiritualGrowth #MercyChallenge #BibleDevotionals #LearningToLoveMercifully
Please be patient with me as I am obedient for the first time in prayer.
The Aging English Major 